Method or process of operating augers



W. E. MOORE.

METHOD 0R PROCESS OF OPERATING AUGERS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-13,1919.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

MIL

W. E. MOORE.

METHOD 0R PROCESS OF OPERATING AUGERS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1919.

1,363,049, Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEEI 2.

WILLIAM a. moon, or onroaoo, rumors, ASSIGNOR,

HY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS;

T0 INTERNATIONAL EARTH-BORING MACHINE oonropA'rroN, A OOBEORATION' OFDELAWARE.

' METHOD OR PROCESS Q1 OPERATING-AUGERB.

- Application filed November To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. Moore, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of.

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methodsor Processes of Operating Augers, of which the following is aspecification. a p

Tlns invention relates to a method or process of operating augers.

It is articularly advantageous in the borin of oles in the earth.

eretofore it has been the practice, in

the operation of earth boring augers, to manually remove the earth fromthe auger or to provide mechanical scrapers and conveyers forautomatically freemg the auger from its load. These methods require longand arduous manual labor or the provision of more or less complicatedmechanism which is always liable to clog, break or otherwise provetroublesome, expensive and unsatisfactory.

One of the objects of this" invention is to provide an improved methodof operating au ers.

nother object is to provide an improved method of boring holes 1n theearth.

Another object is to provide a method whereby both manual labor andmechanical complication are reduced to a minimum.

.Other objects and advantages will appear from the specification andclaims.

In general the method'comprehends the advancement of the auger while "itis. being rotated at one speed, and accelerating the rotationlof theauger during or after its withdrawal to thrgw off the load bycentrifugal action.

The method will be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate one form of boring machines that mziy beemployed.

n the drawings-- Figure 1 is a side elevation,'partly 1n section, of anearth boring machine.

F1g. 2 is a-top plan thereof, and

Fig. 3 is. anend elevation of a part of the auger driving mechanism. v

The earth boring machineshown in the drawin s is of the portable ti e,being mounte upon a motor trucks 'e engine of the truck furnishes thepower for operating theauger; Most of the construction Specification ofLetters Patent. 8

Patented Dec. 21.1920. 18, 1919. Serial No. 887,726.

details are omitted from the drawin s, because the method hereinafterdescribe does not depend upon and is not peculiar to any particular typeof machine. The structure of an earth boring machine which has beenfound to give excellent results in the practice of the present processis disclosed in my co ending application Serial No. 292,133 filedpril23,1919.

In general the earth boring machine com-v prises an auger tower 5 withinwhich is located an auger shaft 6, carrying at its lower end an earthboring auger 7 The.aug tower is mounted u on a turntable 8 rotatablycarried upon t e chassis of the truck. By means of the turntable theauger can be accurately positioned above the .place where a hole is tobe made.

The drive shaft of the engine of the truck is c0nnected,--.by a sprocketwheel and chain connection 9, to a counter shaft 10. Shaft 10, throughsuitable beveled gear trains and a vertical shaft on the axis of theturntable drives a counter shaft 11. Shaft 11 is jour naled in suitablebearings 12 and 13. mounted 1 on the turntable. Through shaft 11 theenfor elevating and lowering the auger.

The engine rotates the anger alwa s in the same direction. Shaft 11 hasa evel gear wheel 15 keyed thereto. Gear wheel 15 drives a gear wheel 16keyed to a shaft 17 Shaft 17 extends across the turntable and has keyedthereto a clutch member 18. Clutch member 18 is adapted to slide onshaft 17 into and out of drivin connection with a cooperating clutchmember 19 which forms a art of a-sprocket wheel 20 loosely journale onshaft 17. Clutch members 18' and 19 are thrown into and out of drivingposition by an operators lever 21.

Sprocket wheel 20, through a chain 25 drives a s rocket wheel 26,,keyedto a shaft 27 journa ed on the turntable. Shaft 27 has a beveled pinion28 keyed-thereto and this pinion engages a cooperatin beveled gear wheel.29. Gear wheels 2% and 28 are mounted in a gear box 30 which supportsthe auger tower and-through which the auger shaft passes. Gear wheel 29is rovided with a squareopening through whic auger shaft 6, which isalso of square cross-section, is longitudinally slidable. Thus therotation of gear wheel 29 rotates the auger shaft and" auger in anyposition of the auger or while I the auger is being raised and lowered.

The engine also acts to raise and lower the auger. Shaft 11, in additionto gear wheel 15, also has a beveled gear Wheel 33, secured thereto andengaging a bevel gear wheel 34 loosely mounted on a sleeve encir clingshaft- 17. This sleeve has a sprocket wheel 35 and a doubleacting clutchmember 36 keyed thereto. A beveled gear wheel 37 loosely journaled onthis sleeve engages gear v 7 wheel 15.

When clutch member 36 is moved in one direction, it cooperates with aclutch memher on gear wheel 34 and the sleeve and sprocket wheel 35 aredriven in one direction. When the position of clutch member 36 isreversed, it engages a clutch member on gear wheel 37 and the sleeve andsprocket wheel 35 are driven in the reverse direction. Clutch member 36is controlled by an operators lever 38.

Sprocket wheel 35, through a chain 40,

' drives a sprocket wheel 41 loosely iournaled on shaft 27. Sprocketwheel 41 isrigidly connected to a sprocket wheel 42 also looselyjournaled on-shaft 27. Through chain 43 and a sprocket wheel 44 sprocketwheel 42.

drives a shaft 45 journaled to the auger tower near its bottom. Shaft 45carries a sprocket wheel 46 keyed thereto. A chain 48 passes oversprocket wheel 46. and a similar sprocket wheel 49 which is located nearthe top of the tower. Chain 48 is secured to auger shaft 6 by a coupling49, the'coupling being of such construction that the shaft is free torotate.

Thus the augur shaft and anger are raised and lowered, depending uponthe position of lever 38, by sprocket wheel 35, chain .40, sprocketwheels 41 and 42, chain 43, sprocket .wheels 44 and 46, and chain 48.

or in the case of extremely heavy and sticky soil the auger haspenetrated to about the limit of the extent of its best operation, lever38'is thrown to cause the raising of the auger. As the auger emergesfrom the hole or after it is completely removed therefrom its rotationis accelerated in any desired manner, as by speeding up the engine. Thehigher speed of rotation increases the centrifugal action tending tothrow ofl or expel the load of earth elevated by the au er. The speed ofrotation may be increase to such an ektent that the earth is thrown orexdpelled from the auger and clear-of the hole. When the auger iscompletely freed of earth its speed of rotation may be'decreased and, ifthe hole is not of the desired depth, the boring operation may proceed.

This method of operating augers and boring holes has been found to giveexcellent results. No scrapers, conveyers or arduous manual labor arerequired to free the auger of its load. The earth is readily expelled bycentrifugal action and a clean hole is quickly and advantageouslyprovided.

Having described my invention, what I claim is v1. The method ofoperating angers which comprises, advancing the auger at one speed ofrotation, and subsequently accelerating the rotation of the augertoexpel the load by centrifugal. action.

2. The method of boring holes in the earth which comprises, advancingthe auger into the earth at one speed of rotation; withandrotating theauger at a higher speed to expel the load by centrifugal action.

3.. The method of boring holes which comprises, loading the auger,withdrawing the auger from the hole produced in the loading thereof, andexpelling the load from the auger by the effect of centrifugal action.

4. The method of boring holes in the earth which comprises, advancingthe auger to bore the hole, loading the auger during the boringoperation, withdrawing the auger and its load of earth from the hole,and rotatin the auger at a higher speed than require to bore the hole toclear the auger of its load of earth In testimony whereof I hereuntosubscribe my name.

- WILLIAM E. MOORE.

drawing the auger with its load of earth, A

